What would it take for a Republican to defeat Mayor Bill de Blasio in November? A GOP insider writes in an op-ed that this year's nominee won't enjoy four of the five key advantages that Michael Bloomberg did. The only remaining edge is a weak Democratic opponent. But the writer says it will be hard to check off the other boxes necessary for a Republican upset. Read more here.

Housing group pushes for more middle-income units

In an op-ed, the head of the state's leading trade group for builders of affordable housing notes that more than 150,000 New York City households that are not poor are still rent-burdened. That calls for middle-income units to be a focus of affordable-housing policy, writes Jolie Milstein of NYSAFAH, whose members are eager to build them. Read more here.

Councilman not horsing around

City Councilman Brad Lander of Park Slope vows to block any rezoning of the Kensington Stables site near Prospect Park unless the next developer includes riding horses in whatever is built there. As you might guess, Lander is no businessman: The existing equestrian business is in bankruptcy, thanks in part to declining interest in horse riding.

Even the operator of the stables says it's a "tall order" to ask a buyer to keep the stables going. Peter D'Amato has more in this week's Photo Finish.

Does art reduce crime and obesity?

Do art institutions reduce crime and make people thinner? Or do art institutions tend to locate in lower-crime, more health-conscious areas? It might be a little of both. Whatever the case, researchers have found that New York City communities with cultural resources had 18% less crime, 14% fewer cases of child abuse and 5% fewer obese residents than neighborhoods with similar demographics and few or no cultural institutions. Read more here.

Construction pay differs by race, union status

The city’s union construction workers are increasingly diverse with strong representation of African-Americans, while nonunion workers are mostly Hispanic and earn far less than their unionized counterparts, Greg David writes.

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